What's in a name? For Mets, money

File photo
The New York Mets are seeking a new corporate partner to secure the naming rights to the county-owned stadium in Port St. Lucie.

AP2012

PORT ST. LUCIE — The sign on the facade atop the stadium still reads Digital Domain Park, but the New York Mets are hoping that changes before spring training in February.

St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said the Mets are "actively seeking" a new corporate partner to secure the naming rights to the county-owned stadium.

"The naming rights are a joint effort by the Mets and St. Lucie County," Dzadovsky said. "The Mets are actively seeking a new group. I think they're working with (Citigroup), since they have the naming rights (to Citi Field, the Mets home stadium in Flushing, N.Y.). That's probably where they will go first.

"They have the ability to negotiate that. We just sign onto it since we have a revenue-sharing component. They'd probably like to have it done before spring training."

The New York Mets first spring training game is Feb. 23 against the Washington Nationals.

Digital Domain Media Group won the naming rights for the stadium — formerly known as Thomas J. White Stadium and Tradition Field — in 2010.

Digital Domain ended the $100,000-a-year contract with the Mets during its bankruptcy filing in late September. The stadium has been called Mets Stadium since then.

"We're working on it," said Paul Taglieri, the Mets' director of Florida operations. "We hope to have somebody by spring training. That's something we work on as an organization. It's there at the top (of his list of priorities). It doesn't happen overnight. We're starting to work on it over the next couple weeks and we're hoping that something could come to fruition."

The Mets and the county split the revenue from the naming rights, which are paid on a quarterly basis. Dzadovsky said the county uses its share of the funds for general maintenance at the stadium.

Digital Domain Park's sign will remain on the stadium until the new corporate partner puts up its name due to the cost involved in changing it out, Dzadovsky said.

While the stadium's name always has had a local connection, both Dzadovsky and Taglieri said the Mets could choose to go with a national partner. According to Dzadovsky, Digital Domain approached the Mets before securing the naming rights.

Dzadovsky said he knew of just one local company, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm.com, which had shown interest in securing the naming rights, but did not give further information.

"We've had a great sponsoring relationship with the Mets for many years," said Rick Baxter, regional marketing director for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com. "We have had some discussions with them about it, but there is no deal on the table. We are open-minded and value the relationship we have with them, but there's nothing imminent."

Taglieri said the key is finding a corporate partner "that works."

"We want to find a company we can establish a relationship that's mutually beneficial for us, whether that's local or national," Taglieri said.